A super-fast alternative to Wi-Fi, called Li-Fi, capable of sending data 100-times faster than current Wi-Fi technologies is being trialled. The speeds are so fast that it’d only take a few seconds to download an HD movie.

The Li-Fi pilot scheme is being carried out by Estonian start-up Velmenni, and the technology was trialed in offices and industrial environments where it was capable of sending 1GB a second.

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Li-Fi uses light to beam information through the air. We already use light to transmit data across fibre optic cables, which use internal reflection to prevent the loss of information, but sending information through the air has proven difficult until now, because there isn’t a light tunnel to guide the signal to where it needs to go.

Professor Harald Haas the inventor of Li-Fi - Velmenni

The CEO of Velmenni, Deepak Solanki, told IBTimes UK:

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We are doing a few pilot projects within different industries where we can utilise the VLC (visible light communication) technology. Currently we have designed a smart lighting solution for an industrial environment where the data communication is done through light. We are also doing a pilot project with a private client where we are setting up a Li-Fi network to access the internet in their office space.

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Velmenni

The technology is also being trialed by airlines, who want to improve in flight internet connections and intelligence agencies, who are interested in creating more secure wireless networks.

Don’t get too excited though retrofitting current tech to take advantage of Li-Fi will take a while yet unfortunately.